SAAJID Badat who admitted conspiring with "shoebomber" Richard Reid to blow up an airliner over the Atlantic, but changed his mind before boarding the flight, was jailed for 13 years yesterday.

Badat, 25, entered a guilty plea in February - admitting he had conspired with Reid to blow up planes in simultaneous attacks.

It is the first major conviction for a terrorist plot in Britain since the 11 September, 2001, attacks in the United States.

Reid failed in his bid to blow up an American Airlines' plane flying from Paris to Miami on 22 December, 2001, after passengers and crew overpowered him as he tried to ignite explosives in his shoe. He was sentenced to life imprisonment by a US court in January 2003.

Badat confessed to an identical plan. He bought a ticket to fly from Manchester to Amsterdam on 17 December, 2001, and then on to the US, but changed his mind about taking the flight and dismantled his device. Badat returned to live in Britain where he became an Imam and a Muslim preacher.

Judge Adrian Fulford said he was being lenient because Badat had "a genuine change of heart", abandoning plans for the attack and pleading guilty.

The judge condemned the plot as "truly appalling" adding: "There are few more serious crimes than what you were planning. It intended to shock the lives of thousands of friends and relatives of the loved ones who would have been devastated by it."

Justice Fulford said he hoped the sentence would send a message to others considering terrorism that a decision to turn away from violence would benefit them in court.

The court had heard how Badat left home aged 19 and went to live in London, working as a kitchen porter and security guard before travelling to Afghanistan to train in a terror camp. Over the next few years, he travelled between Pakistan, Europe, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan on three British passports, pretending the legitimate one was stolen. He also used forged entry and exit visas - made by the same stamp that appeared on Reid's passports.

Throughout 2001, Reid and Badat's travel plans were remarkably similar and by 11 September, 2001, both were staying in Amsterdam, prosecutor Richard Horwell said.

Badat and Reid then returned to Afghanistan and were persuaded by a Taliban sympathiser to take part in the plot. They carried the explosive equipment with them throughout the following three months.

But by early December, Badat began to have doubts about the plot, and started sending a series of e-mails to his handlers warning them Reid would be "on his own".

Badat returned to Britain, got rid of the shoe that was to house the bomb and dismantled the explosives, but kept them in two suitcases in his bedroom.

London's Old Bailey court heard at the hearing in February that Badat had been given an explosive device in Afghanistan that had a detonating cord that matched Reid's.

Badat, from Gloucester, was arrested in November 2003. At his home, police found a bomb which he had made safe by separating the detonator and fuse from the plastic explosive, which had been designed to evade airport security.

Mr Horwell said that both bombs were "identical" in design and would have "been sufficient to make a hole through the fuselage of a passenger jet".

Describing the plot, Mr Horwell said: "Following the terrorist training that Reid and Badat had received, the final plans by them must have been made.

"They left Pakistan within days and had the aim of carrying out simultaneous attacks on passenger aircraft flying from Europe to the US. The plot was to cause explosions in two passenger aircraft when they were in flight over the Atlantic.

"The evidence also discloses that Badat must have withdrawn from this plot but Reid did not and it was only good fortune that prevented him from achieving his terrible objective."

When police arrested Badat, he told them exactly where all the explosives were kept.

Badat's counsel, Michael Mansfield, QC, said his client was devout, but had his "sincere" beliefs "manipulated".

Mr Mansfield said when Badat was a teenager he felt increasingly concerned for the plight of Muslims being persecuted around the world, and wanted to fight their cause. But by 2001, he said Badat became caught up in the "cauldron of concern and activity" in Afghanistan and faced a "moral dilemma" fighting for his Muslim brothers. He said Badat was persuaded to take part also because he had no money, but added that his client was now filled with remorse and wanted to warn-off potential terrorists. "He sees there can never be any justification in jeopardising the lives of innocent civilians for this kind of terrorist activity," said Mr Mansfield.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke, head of the Anti-Terrorist Branch, said: "This is a very important conviction and is the culmination of a painstaking investigation lasting three years. It is a tremendous example of cooperation between international agencies and those in the UK."

sevenforeseven

24th Apr 2005, 11:31

Typical soft touch British, he gets 13 years and will probably be out in 3. The other terrorist in the U.S is looking at the death penalty.
I think if you are a terrorist Britain is the best place to get caught.

Onan the Clumsy

24th Apr 2005, 16:53

Another shoe bomber? I just knew there'd be a pair.

Pilgrim101

24th Apr 2005, 16:56

Onan

Wish I'd said that !! But never mind - I will, I will !! :ok: :D

Training Risky

24th Apr 2005, 17:26

I hope his god Aladdin burns his sole for all eternity when he dies;)

FLCH

24th Apr 2005, 17:41

I'll bet you'll see his name sufrace again in a few years time after his release......connected with terrorist activities. ( I was gonna say this at least this heel is in jail, I sure hope they take his laces from him so he can't hang himself, but if he did do himself in ..that would be a shine on the war on terrorists. Probably turn out to be a real bloody loafer in jail though.)

Gouabafla

24th Apr 2005, 17:54

If his name does resurface in connection with terrorist activities it will probably be when his body is dumped in a back street by some of his former associates.

I don't suppose the people who trained and equipped him are going to be queueing up to welcome him back with open arms given that he didn't go through with the job and will have been in the hands of the police for a long time.

Onan the Clumsy

24th Apr 2005, 18:01

I heard he was caught carrying drugs too. They were uppers.

He got them with a stolen prescription at Boots.

In any event. he sounds like a heel to me.

I bet he wagged his tongue at trial.

Was it at the famous court in Bow Street?

I hope he doesn't slip on a banana skin in the shower.

At least he'll be the last one.

Pilgrim101

24th Apr 2005, 19:04

I should like to formally apologise to the forum for encouraging Onan. He's talking cobblers ! :}

FLCH

"I sure hope they take his laces from him so he can't hang himself" ! I hope so too, or he'll spend the next 13 years trying to set fire to them ! :}

deeceethree

25th Apr 2005, 21:16

...... and in the 13 years (if he does them all?) he is in jail thge Uk taxpayer will be spending more on him per month than a retired disabled serviceman gets in a year. IT SUCKS.

These folk should be killed before they even leave the court room.

Paul Wilson

26th Apr 2005, 00:31

Look I'm no liberal leftie, but the point about this guy is that he DIDN'T attempt to get on the plane with a bomb, when the police came to his house he stopped them from randomly looking for the bomb and told them where it was, and he had the bomb in his house disassembled for a couple of years, and did not use it and had no intention of doing so.

He'll have to serve at least 2/3rds of his sentance before being eligiable for licence anyway, so thats around 9 years

Few Cloudy

11th May 2005, 09:25

Looking at the bigger picture, what I find dangerous is that he carried on as a preacher. What good word could he have been spreading there? Too often the Mosque is implicated in terrorism.